Daily Times

Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that more than 500 illegal cattle markets across country have been shut down over the last few days.

In a tweet, he said, “A few days ago, the chief secretaries were instructed to take action against illegal cattle markets in a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Law enforcement agencies are are doing this (shutting down illegal cattle markets) for our protection.”

Meanwhile, the fourth provincial meeting of NCOC would be held in Peshawar on Monday. The NCOC sessions being held in the provincial capitals are part of its initiative to acknowledge and appreciate the provinces’ efforts in coordinating, collaborating and collating joint measures with the federal government through NCOC to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, ensure strict compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), safety and health guidelines. The move also aims at mustering national unity against Covid-19, review efforts of the provinces to ensure SOPs and appreciate their efficiency in implementing national decisions to cope with the pandemic.

The NCOC session would discuss ground-check SOPs compliance in cattle markets and pre-Eid shopping, measures to control public visits to recreational, picnic spots and hill stations on Eid in KP, Epi Curve Chart data, update on smart lockdowns, hotspots and contact tracing, disease prevalence and low testing in various cities of KP and KP government’s anti-Covid strategy.

The entire NCOC team comprising Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, National Coordinator NCOC Lieutenant General Hamood uz Zaman Khan, Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ejaz Ahmed Shah, Prime Minister’s Focal person on Covid-19 Dr Faisal Sultan and others will participate in the meeting and the provincial representatives would join through video link.

The NCOC, earlier, has organized provincial sessions in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta where the meetings were hosted by the chief ministers whereas chief secretaries, senior officials of the local administrations, provincial representatives of other provinces (through video link) and the entire NCOC team participated in the meeting.